Quality Assurance Books

Book SynopsisThis book introduces strategic management tools and techniques appropriate for use in software quality management. There has been a gap between strategic management and software quality, and the solutions for solving the problems and improving the software quality usually come from the experience of IT experts: the managerial experience. This book helps people interested in software quality to go beyond the IT technical issues and integrate strategic management tools with their technical knowledge to become more prepared for the future, develop long-term plans for solutions and improvements, take more strategic decisions even when compared with the competitors, and finally, reach sustainable continuous improvements.This book, by bridging software quality management and strategic management, can be used by software quality practitioners for effective results. The software development process is usually studied with regards to its functional aspects and the attempts to improve the quality and performance are mainly concentrated on the technical side. The developers, testers, or engineers search for solutions mostly directed toward a local problem specific to a unit, department, or code. What is often missing is grasping the big image of the problem: the managerial aspect. Even if all the technical staff are doing their tasks as they were planned, there is a vital need for identifying the bottlenecks and the points in need of improvements, alterations, and exclusions, together with tracking the progress and coming up with future strategies. This makes the software quality management activities intertwined with the strategic management concepts where strategic management enhances the quality management with its tools and techniques, and, in return, the software quality management provides the strategic management with insights on the technical issues, resulting in symbiosis. The highly competitive nature of the IT world makes it inevitable to take strategic tools and techniques into account and infuse them into the technical practices of software quality management.This book encompasses the following chapters: analyzing the current situation, identifying the improvement areas, determining the strategies, tracking the progress, and achieving a sustainable improvement.

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Book SynopsisThis guide serves as a roadmap for integrating digital value stream mapping into your lean deployment to improve your production processes. Lean, with its mapping component, value stream mapping (VSM), has endured as a process improvement methodology for over twenty-five years. VSM is a metrics-based analytical mapping method with simple calculations for lean metrics such as Takt Time, VA, NVA, Capacity, OEE, and so forth, however: -- The calculations and charting associated with value stream maps can be tedious; -- It's hard to keep updating the calculations for âœwhat-ifâ studies. -- Manual calculations can be prone to error. Digital VSM was then introduced as a complement to the initial paper-and-pencil map. The eVSM software has been used to create Digital VSMs for the past many years, but it has also encountered a couple of hurdles: -- Lean application has expanded and is applied to increasingly complex value streams. -- Product variants

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Book SynopsisThe world's largest and most profitable companies - including the likes of GE, Bank of America, Honeywell, DuPont, Samsung, Starwood Hotels, Bechtel, and Motorola - have used Six Sigma to achieve breathtaking improvements in business performance. This title presents an easy way to understand and implement Six Sigma.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Part I: Getting Acquainted with Six Sigma Basics 7 Chapter 1: Better Business and Better Performance: Defining Six Sigma 9 Chapter 2: Linking Quality and Business 17 Chapter 3: Examining the Principles and Language of Six Sigma 31 Chapter 4: Organizing for Improvement 43 Part II: DMAIC: Defining and Measuring 61 Chapter 5: Identifying and Right-Sizing Projects 63 Chapter 6: Launching a Project 77 Chapter 7: Mapping to Identify Possible Factors 87 Chapter 8: Diagramming to Identify Possible Factors 101 Chapter 9: Describing Performance with Numbers 113 Part III: DMAIC: Analyzing 133 Chapter 10: Depicting and Analyzing Data through Charts and Graphs 135 Chapter 11: Analyzing for Value 155 Chapter 12: What’s Normal? Recognizing Normally-Shaped Variation 165 Chapter 13: Assessing Capability: Comparing the Voices of the Customer and the Process 179 Chapter 14: Gauging Gauges: Measurement System Analysis (MSA) 199 Chapter 15: Mining Data and Processes for Insight 209 Chapter 16: Making Confident Decisions 227 Part IV: DMAIC: Improving and Controlling 241 Chapter 17: Forecasting Future Performance 243 Chapter 18: Designing, Conducting, and Analyzing Experiments (DOE) 259 Chapter 19: Standardizing on Improvement 281 Chapter 20: Maintaining Gains through Statistical Process Control 291 Part V: Looking at the Six Sigma Technology Tool Landscape 309 Chapter 21: Eyeing Process Characterization and Optimization Technologies 311 Chapter 22: Tools for Performing Six Sigma Analysis 323 Chapter 23: Managing Six Sigma 331 Part VI: The Part of Tens 343 Chapter 24: Ten Top Do's and Don’ts of Six Sigma 345 Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Gain Synergies with Lean and Six Sigma 349 Chapter 26: Ten Places to Go for Help 353 Index 357

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Book SynopsisCompletely revised to align with ISO 9001:2015, this handbook has been the bible for users of ISO 9001 since 1994, helping organizations get certified and increase the quality of their outputs.Whether you are an experienced professional, a novice, or a quality management student or researcher, this is a crucial addition to your bookshelf. The various ways in which requirements are interpreted and applied are discussed using published definitions, reasoned arguments and practical examples. Packed with insights into how the standard has been used, misused and misunderstood, ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook will help you to decide if ISO 9001 certification is right for your company and will gently guide you through the terminology, requirements and implementation of practices to enhance performance.Matched to the revised structure of the 2015 standard, with clause numbers included for ease of reference, the book also includes: GraphicTrade ReviewDavid Hoyle's latest work on this ISO 9000 Handbook once again "cracks the code", encrypted by the ISO TC 176 authors and offers, actionable, pragmatic advice for users and quality practitioners around the World on how to understand and effect the ISO 9000 family of documents. With so many competing publications on the subject, this 7th edition should be the essential, go-to handbook for quality professionals seeking to understand and benefit from an ISO 9001 modeled quality system. Sidney Vianna, Management System Professional, DNV GL, USA. A must-have for anyone tasked with facilitating the creation and delivery of value to stakeholders, David Hoyle's staggeringly powerful latest edition of Quality Systems Handbook expertly and thoroughly demystifies the updated ISO 9000 Standards. An indispensable tool for managing quality and successful Certification. John Colebrook, Director, Enhanced Operating Systems Ltd, New Zealand. A valuable resource that explores salient concepts arising from the ISO 9001:2015 standard in an unambiguous manner. David Hoyle using his inimitable step by step approach demonstrates the applicability of quality management standard to any organisational context.This book is definitely recommended reading for both academics and business leaders seeking to gain an in depth understanding of quality management systems. Dr Lowellyne James, Lecturer in Quality Management, Robert Gordon University, IEMA Certificate in Sustainability Strategy Programme Leader, Scotland. To be up-to-date with the latest in ISO 9000 Quality Systems (ISO9000:2015), this is the definitive guide to refer to. David Hoyle’s 7th edition stays true to its purpose of ensuring interpreting the Standard, comprehensible. Christopher Seow, Visiting Lecturer "Six Sigma for Managers" Cass Business School, City, University of London, UK. David Hoyle pulls no punches in this very comprehensive seventh edition of his ISO 9000 Handbook. Whether you are a scholar, business executive, quality manager, consultant or a Certification Body, this book is for you. He goes out of his way to change the misconception of what the ISO 9001:2015 standard is really all about. He meticulously explains that it is aimed at improved performance and not just a set of requirements for compliance. David convinces the reader that Quality should be managed as an integral part of every business. Paul Harding, Managing Director, South African Quality Institute, South Africa. Yet again David Hoyle has produced another excellent book that explains the new standard and its requirements in straightforward terms. It is the book we have all been waiting for that will help us implement the new Standard and will become the new bible for quality management Systems. If you follow the advice in Hoyle’s book you will not have any issues when the auditor arrives at your door. It is suitable for all people involved in the standard from company directors who need to know more about their responsibilities to experienced and busy Quality Managers who need to implement and inform others about the changes. Rhian Newton, HSEQ Manager, Morgan Advanced Materials, UK. The book does a great job of showing how a quality system built to the principles of ISO 9000 and conforming to the new ISO 9001:2015 requirements can be an integral part of leadership's strategic approach to running the business versus letting a quality management system operate in a silo.The book explores and explains the ISO9001:2015 requirements in a way that is easy to follow yet at the same time deep and meaningful especially for those new concepts and requirements such as leadership, context of the organization and managing risk. This feels like a book I'll keep referring to for many years to come. Richard Allan, Director, Quality Assurance, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, UK. Table of ContentsContents Preface to the Seventh Edition Part 1 Introduction Chapter 1 Putting ISO 9001 in context Chapter 2 Comparison between 2008 and 2015 editions Chapter 3 How the 2015 version has changed misconceptions Key messages from Part 1 Part 2 Anatomy and use of the standards Chapter 4 The ISO 9000 family of standards Chapter 5 A practical guide to using these standards Key messages from part 2 Part 3 Terminology Chapter 6 Quality Chapter 7 Requirements Chapter 8 Management System Chapter 9 Process and the process approach Chapter 10 Risk and opportunity Chapter 11 Interested parties and stakeholders Key messages from Part 3 Part 4 Context of the organization Chapter 12 Understanding the organization and its context Chapter 13 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties Chapter 14 Scope of the quality management system Chapter 15 Quality management system Chapter 16 Processes needed for the QMS Key messages from Part 4 Part 5 Leadership Chapter 17 Leadership and commitment Chapter 18 Customer focus Chapter 19 Policy Chapter 20 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities Key messages from Part 5 Part 6 Planning Chapter 21 Actions to address risks and opportunities Chapter 22 Quality objectives and planning to achieve them Chapter 23 Planning of changes Key messages from Part 6 Part 7 Support Chapter 24 People Chapter 25 Infrastructure Chapter 26 Environment for the operation of processes Chapter 27 Monitoring and measuring resources Chapter 28 Organizational knowledge Chapter 29 Competence Chapter 30 Awareness Chapter 31 Communication Chapter 32 Documented information Key messages from Part 7 Part 8 Operation Chapter 33 Operational planning and control Chapter 34 Customer communication Chapter 35 Requirements for products and services Chapter 36 Review of requirements for products and services Chapter 37 Design and development planning Chapter 38 Design and development inputs Chapter 39 Design and development controls Chapter 40 Design and development outputs Chapter 41 Design and development changes Chapter 42 Control of externally provided processes, products and services Chapter 43 Evaluation, selection and monitoring of external providers Chapter 44 Information for external providers Chapter 45 Control of production and service provision Chapter 46 Identification and traceability Chapter 47 Property belonging to external providers Chapter 48 Preservation of process outputs Chapter 49 Control of changes Chapter 50 Release, delivery and post-delivery of products and services Chapter 51 Control of nonconforming outputs Key messages from Part 8 Part 9 Performance evaluation Chapter 52 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation Chapter 53 Customer satisfaction Chapter 54 Analysis and evaluation Chapter 55 Internal audit Chapter 56 Management review Key messages from Part 9 Part 10 Improvement Chapter 57 Determining and selecting opportunities for improvement Chapter 58 Nonconformity and corrective action Chapter 59 Continual improvement of the QMS Key messages from Part 10 Appendices A Common Acronyms B Glossary of terms Index

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Book SynopsisBest Practice in Inventory Management 3E offers a simple, entirely jargon-free and yet comprehensive introduction to key aspects of inventory management. Good management of inventory enables companies to improve their customer service, cash flow and profitability. This text outlines the basic techniques, how and where to apply them, and provides advice to ensure they work to provide the desired effect in practice. With an unrivalled balance between qualitative and quantitative aspects of inventory control, experienced consultant Tony Wild portrays the many ways in which stock management is more nuanced than simple number crunching and mathematical modelling. This long-awaited new edition has been substantially and thoroughly updated.The product of decades of experience and expertise in the field, Best Practice in Inventory Management 3E provides students and professionals, even those with no prior experience in the area, an unbiased and honest picture of Table of ContentsTable of ContentsPREFACEINTRODUCTION1 THE BASIS OF INVENTORY CONTROL1.A The role of inventory management1.B Objectives for inventory control 1.C Profit through inventory management1.D Reasons for the current stock2 CUSTOMER SERVICE2.A Customer Relations2.B Measuring availability2.C Demand management2.D Consuming forecast demand and supply lead time3 SHAPING INVENTORY 3.A Using Pareto Analysis for control3.B ABC Analysis3.C Stock cover3.D Pareto stock balance4 PRACTICAL METHODS FOR REDUCING STOCKHOLDING4.A Approach to Inventory Reduction4.B The Reduction Project4 C Obsolete and Excess Stock5 MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL 5.A Where stock control fits into the organisation5.B Responsibilities and targets5.C Skills and Systems5.D Inventory valuation6 LEAN SUPPLY6.A Lean Supply Philosophy6.B Lean Principles6.C Implementing lean6.D Operational benefits of Lean Supply6.E Developing Lean Operations7 SAFETY STOCKS7.A Learning from History7.B Normal demand patterns7.C Evaluating safety stocks8 SETTING THE RIGHT STOCK LEVELS8.A Simple Assessment of Review Levels8.B Managing Lead Times8.C Supplier Delivery frequency effects 8.D Target stock levels9 PROCUREMENT 9.A The Role of Supply Chain Procurement 9.B Supply partnerships9.C Single Sourcing9.D Supply Partnerships9.E Vendor Appraisal9.F Pricing Methods10 DELIVERY QUANTITIES10.A Supply and Suppliers10.B Organising Repetitive Supply 10.C Order types10.D Order quantities10.E Delivery Quantities10.F Scheduling supply10.G Supply Co-ordination10.H Purchasing Processes11 FORECASTING DEMAND11.A Options for assessing demand 11.B Causes of forecasting inaccuracy11.C Methods of improving forecasting12 HISTORICAL FORECASTING TECHNIQUES12.A Basic Forecasting Techniques12.B Moving Average12.C Exponentially Weighted Averages12.D Improved Values for Mean Absolute Deviation12.E Choosing the Best Forecast - Focus Forecasting13 IMPROVED FORECASTING METHODS13.A More Forecasting Tools13.B Forecasting for seasonal sales14 DEPENDENT DEMAND14.A Avoiding uncertainty14.B Material requirements planning14.C Master planning15 SUPPLY CHAIN INVENTORY MANAGEMENT15.A The basis of the lean supply chain15.B Coordination15.C Supply Chain Operations 15.D Replenishment Techniques16 MEETING THE CHALLENGES 16.A Review16.B Recipe for successQUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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Book SynopsisResponding to a recent surge in interest and application, this book is the first to comprehensively address how Lean thinking and tools can be implemented in agriculture and agribusiness. This tactical guide breaks down barriers, clearly depicting how improvement techniques originally developed for factories can derive the same powerful results on farms.Expert Lean farming consultants, Susanne Pejstrup and Vibeke Fladkjaer Nielsen, present these methods in a clear, easy-to-read style, accessible to farmers all over the world. Case studies from multiple farm types including crops, pigs and dairy cattle demonstrate how respect for people, continuous improvement, and visual management techniques can improve resilience and profitability on the farm. Richly illustrated, Lean in Agriculture appeals not only to farmers, but to farm workers, food processing companies, veterinarians, consultants and other stakeholders in the agribusiness sector.Key Features: Table of ContentsChapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3: The five Lean Principles. Chapter 4: The Eight Wastes of Lean. Chapter 5: Involve your employees. Chapter 6: that is How You Work with goals. Chapter 7: Tools. Chapter 8: How to Implement Lean at your Farm. Chapter 9: Examples of Lean. Chapter 10: Dictionary. Chapter 11: References.

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In the business world, especially in manufacturing or quality management, the term Six Sigma usually refers to a set of tools and methodologies developed by Motorola to improve processes by eliminating defects. So why should the HR professional care what Six Sigma is or how it can be applied in the HR function? According to the specialists at Orion Partners, there are ten key reasons: to create excellence in process delivery; to reduce defects; to increase efficiency; to create a quality focused mindset; to benefit from best practice; to bring clarity to the processes of HR; to use a structured scientific approach; to speak the same language and improve communication; to gain control over your processes; and to strengthen your business case. Mircea Albeanu and Ian Hunter explain some of the basic concepts to show how applying Six Sigma tools and methodologies can be used to manage the practical challenges of improving HR operations to meet your organization''s expe

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Book SynopsisQuality Standards for Highly Effective Government, Second Edition establishes a new normal in government that will ultimately reinvent the practice of democratic government. The principal catalyst for this change will be the adoption of auditable quality standards within every government entitybased on efficiency, effectiveness, and delivered value. Conventional wisdom says that government is not efficient and not effective but, we are still unsure what works and what is broken in government, where to find some common sense, and where to start to fix it.The problem sounds huge, but the solution is not all that difficult. Quality science can provide a structure for efficiency and effectiveness, democratic institutions can create consensus goals, and auditable standards can show where these issues exist and to what degree. In addition, it can drive change where it must happen, because if you can measure it, you can manage it.Auditable quality standards can makeTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: The Problem and Auditable Quality Standards as SolutionChapter 2: Quality Science as a BackboneChapter 3: The Process Management StandardChapter 4: Scoring the Process Management StandardChapter 5: The System Management StandardChapter 6: Scoring the Systems Management StandardChapter 7: The Aligned Leadership Objectives StandardChapter 8: Auditable Standards as a Catalyst for the FutureChapter 9: Three Necessary StrategiesChapter 10: Necessary Culture and Values

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Book SynopsisThis book shows how to consistently obtain annual and multiannual manufacturing target profit regardless of the evolution of sales volumes, increasing or decreasing, using the Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) system. Managers and practitioners within the manufacturing companies will discover a practical approach within the MCPD system that will help them develop and support their long-term, medium-term, and short-term profitability and productivity strategy. The book presents both the basic concepts of MCPD and the key elements of transforming manufacturing companies through MCPD system, as well as supporting the consistent growth of external and internal profit by directing all systematic and systemic improvements based on meeting the annual and multiannual Manufacturing Cost Improvement (MCI) targets and means for each Product-Family Cost (PFC).This book is unique because it presents two types of systematic and systemic improvement projects for MCI that have beenTrade Review"There are numerous structured approaches to productivity improvement available - and countless consultants who help you apply them. However, reality is never quite the same as the scenarios painted by these consultants or the purveyors of the tools and techniques. The theory is usually great; the practical application is less certain. Most approaches are relatively superficial, provided in outline only … requiring the reader to uncover the flaws and failings, the practical difficulties of interpretation and implementation.This book is different. Firstly, it acknowledges the fact that people find implementation difficult so it approaches the situation by focusing on a number of specific scenarios --some involving growth, some involving decline …. and takes the reader through the detailed application of MCPD in these scenarios.The author’s experience as a lean manufacturing consultant has clearly shaped his approach to the development of strategy and practice - no bad thing obviously … but he has added his own thoughtful and thorough approach on top to provide a ’system’ capable of providing real improvements in manufacturing productivity and profitability.The book is detailed and peppered with abbreviations - sometimes making it quite a ‘hard’ read. It is also generally a book that suits readers not afraid of quantitative approaches and the application of mathematical formulae. However the author also recognizes that improving productivity via a structured, quantitative approach also brings intangible benefits. It is worth persevering with the detail to uncover the underlying principles and ‘truths’ that will allow you to ‘make a difference’."John Heap, President of the World Confederation of Productivity Science"All too often, it seems that publications related to manufacturing productivity focus on short-term fixes in 'easy' scenarios. This book is unique in that it addresses improvement projects that cover the full planning range from a temporal perspective, and the pursuit of excellence regardless of product life cycles. It is key that the concepts presented in the book consider short-, medium-, and long-term productivity in a way that precludes the tendency to focus on short-term fixes. It is perhaps also this approach that leads to the development of strategies that can be used even during times of economic contraction. In short, this book provides the tools required to manage manufacturing organizations and maximize profitability during both good and trying times."G. Don Taylor, Ph.D., P.E.Charles O. Gordon Professor – Virginia TechVice Provost for Learning Systems Innovation and Effectiveness"This book provides a way to improve practical approach and tools for competitive target costs setting with a goal engineering approach at first and unfold it for a whole organization about cost management and cost reduction, using both growth and reduction sales scenarios".Shigeyasu Sakamoto, Ph.D. Doshisya, P.E. CEO, Productivity Partner INC. Japan"Effective cost management underpins the achievement of competitive manufacturing, and increasingly manufacturing strategy is dominated by the need to reduce operating costs. Firms that arbitrarily cut costs to satisfy short-term profitability goals miss the bigger opportunity to both reduce costs and increase productivity. This is where Alin’s book makes an important and unique contribution, bridging the strategic management and operations improvement domains. Through MCPD decision makers are better informed to identify cost reduction opportunities, which can then be implemented through productivity improvement. To put it simply, MCPD makes manufacturing better: cheaper, more productive, and more capable of competing on a global scale."Daniel Eyers, Ph.D.Lecturer in Manufacturing Systems Management - Cardiff University"I’ve been collaborating with Alin since a long period already for different projects, and I have been witness to the development of the Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) concept at different stages until this third book on MCPD has been reached. The MPCD system is a unique reference concept in an operational environment to drive productivity improvements in order to achieve the operating profit goal through manufacturing cost improvement. Using the MPCD system, it is easy to identify and continually reduce the manufacturing costs associated with losses and waste across each product family processes. Also, cases study are very useful to understand how this new concept can be translated into practice, some of them developed in our factory, so you just need to get it done!"Vasile Haiduc,Plant Operations Manager, DeLonghi”Written by a seasoned professional Ph.D., the book of Alin Posteucă is a mind opening a new way of scientifically and practically approach the concepts of manufacturing operations. Want to make your business more profitable, you the present days entrepreneur? Do you want to get immersed in the wonderful philosophy of productivity, get to know the latest ideas that the experts are conveying them to the production floor?Alin’s book is an answer and a practical guide to all these. It shows the basic fundamental and scientific steps and factors that are supporting his new very original approach to the profitability and productivity and also practical suggestions when facing problems on the production floor."Florin Larion,Lean-Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Philadelphia, USA."While most of authors are focusing their efforts, experience and explanation on productivity improvement, Alin, with his "Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment" (MCPD) goes further- providing real improvement factors, continuous targeting of improvements to profit, financial quantification of results - all elements needed in order get the results of improved productivity at the level of profit and loss statement (P&L). This third book dedicated to MCPD, named "Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) Profitability Scenarios: Systematic and Systemic Improvement of Manufacturing Costs" is "advanced level manual": 15 improvement projects documenting previously explained scenarios, concise, clear, targeted and obviously easy to replicate to meet the Manufacturing Cost Improvement (MCI) goal - you CANNOT pretend haven't found your company's situation in one of those".Ovidiu Ambrus,Plant Manager at Litens Automotive Eastern Europe (Litens Automotive Group)"This book demonstrates how MCPD system is helping companies with different type of production environments, to focus their improvement strategies and transformation of product families flow to meet customer demand, continuously targeting Manufacturing Cost Improvement convergent to zero Cost of Losses and Waste and continuous profitability improvement. Readers will find different scenarios of MCPD implementation that show impressive easy to replicate results (i.e. to meet the annual MCI goal, an kaizen project for MCI achieved profitability targets by reducing the set-up time by 70% and another by reducing breakdown by 35% to increase OEE level)."Catalin Neagoe,Lead Black Belt, Cameron, a Schlumberger company"In this new book on the MCPD system, starting from the basic questions of any manager (such as what are the activities that generate losses and waste, what types of losses and waste occur and how they are generated along the manufacturing flow, which processes are in the top of the ones that generate most of the costs of losses and waste (CLW) and what is their trend etc.) the systematic and systemic activities are presented, both annual and multiannual, for identification, quantification and analysis of CLW to consistently achieve manufacturing cost improvement (MCI) targets. The surprising and documented context is valid in the vast majority of manufacturing companies. The potential for approaching and improving the CLW of 30-50% is enormous and represents the path to true competitiveness through costs.The 7 presented matrixes are intuitive and can be easily used for any practical model, and based on them (using the PDCA cycle), real data are available to achieve annual MCI targets. Also, it is very well underlined the way to set the annual MCI means targets ("what how/through what leverage") taking into account the current and future context of the market & sales.Clearly, it is a book that can be applied in factories to reduce costs consistently and strategically. I recommend the MCPD system and this book to those who realize or not that they are on a mountain of losses and waste and also have the necessity, ambition and leverage needed to radically improve this current status!"Gabriel Hîncu,Plant Maintenance Manager, ZF Group-TRW Airbag Systems"Since I as child I’ve loved nature. Why? Because it knew how to deal with changes to find simple solutions to complex problems. In our industrial era we have simple problems and we try to find complex solutions. In the same way Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) Profitability Scenarios: Systematic and Systemic Improvement of Manufacturing Costs book by Alin Posteucă shows us the nature way. Not only by theoretical but also by practical example. Doing Lean more than 15 years I’ve learnt what is the "KISS" – "Keep It Simple Stupid". In the same way the book written by Alin teaches us how to survive and make profit in a very competitive market."Constantin Anechitei,Lean Manager at Filtration GroupTable of ContentsList of Figures. List of Tables. List of Abbreviations. Preface. About the Author. Introduction. Part I: Understanding of the MCPD system. Chapter 1: Let's Start by Really Tackling Improvement of the Current Level of Manufacturing Profit through Productivity Improvement. Chapter 2: Scenarios and Strategies of the MCPD System. Chapter 3: The MCPD Transformation: Establishing and Implementing Profitable Improvement Projects. Chapter 4: Annual Transformation Example through MCPD System: MCI with at least 6% per year for a PFC. Part II: Profitable Improvement Projects Implementation through MCPD for MCI towards Maximizing Outputs. Chapter 5: MCI and Increasing Equipment Effectiveness. Chapter 6: MCI and Increasing Manufacturing Capacity through a New Products and a New Equipment. Part III: Profitable Improvement Projects Implementation through MCPD for MCI towards Minimizing Inputs. Chapter 7: MCI through Improving Variable and Fixed Costs: Material, Environment and Labor Costs. Chapter 8: MCI through Aligning the Factory Lead Time to Takt Time. Appendix 1: The MCPD Transformation ChecklistAppendix 2: Glossary - The basic concepts of the MCPD system. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book gives the reader an inside look at creating a new healthcare service using practical examples and scenarios one would face if doing it themselves. This book chronicles the journey of a fictitious healthcare delivery organization using the Simpler Design System principles based on Lean methodologies. While the characters and actual story is fictitious, it is based on the journey many healthcare systems and clients have taken, the issues they have faced, and the successes and failures they've had. Tools and approaches used are based on the actual work of Simpler. The story format engages readers and is intended to motivate and inspire executive teams to use the tenets of the book as a guide to launch their own successful implementation of an idea-to-launch methodology. Tools include those gleaned from actual application of Lean Product Development, Agile, Design for Six Sigma, and Design Thinking Principles. Through engaging storytelling and practTable of ContentsIntroduction. My Executive Strategic Initiative. Scanning the Environment. Talking to Patients and Stakeholders. Summarizing Project Features. Designing Each Element. Testing Our Solutions. Codifying the Final Process. Launching to the Public. Reflecting on the Project.

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Book SynopsisSystems Thinking for a Turbulent World will help practitioners in any field of change engage more effectively in transformative innovation. Such innovation addresses the paradigm shift needed to meet the diverse unfolding global challenges facing us today, often summed up as the Anthropocene. Fragmentation of local and global societies is escalating, and this is aggravating vicious cycles. To heal the rifts, we need to reintroduce the human element into our understandings â whether the context is civic or scientific â and strengthen truth-seeking in decision-making. Aided by appropriate concepts and methods, this healing will enable a switch from reaction to anticipation, even in the face of discontinuous change and high uncertainty. The outcome is to privilege the positive human skills for collaborative navigation through uncertainty over the disjointed rationality of mechanism and artificial intelligence, which increasingly alienates us. The reader in searchTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables, Acknowledgements, Preface, Introduction, CHAPTER 1 – HEALING OUR FRAGMENTED WORLD, Step 1 Seeking the Ox., Thinking Differently, A Systems Worldview, CHAPTER 2 – REHABILITATING THE OBSERVER, Step 2 Finding the Tracks., Paradigm Shift, Thread 1 – Presence of the Observer, Thread 2 – Observation, Intervention and Ethics, Thread 3 – Reflexivity and Reciprocity, Thread 4 – Circularity and Re-entry, Thread 5 - Reflection and Perception, Thread 6 – Transdisciplinarity, Thread 7 – Multi-perspective Dialogic, Weaving the Threads, CHAPTER 3 – REPERCEIVING THE FUTURE, Step 3 - First Glimpse of the Ox. , Changing Boundary Perception, Anticipating the Unpredictable, The Three Horizons, Deepening the Paradigm Shift, CHAPTER 4 - ANTICIPATORY SYSTEMS ARE DIFFERENT, Step 4 Catching the Ox., Foresight as Anticipation, From First-order to Second-order Anticipatory Systems, Taking a Transdisciplinary Viewpoint, The Structure of the Anticipatory Present Moment, CHAPTER 5 CULTIVATING DECISION INTEGRITY, Step 5 Taming the Ox., The Trap of Rationality, Decision as Learning, The Notion of undecidable questions, The Navigational Implications of Second-Order Decision, Implications for Management and Governance, , CHAPTER 6 – THE CO-CREATIVE WAY, Step 6 Riding the Ox Home., Pattern Thinking, The Gestalt of Pattern Recognition, The Practice of Repatterning, Participative Repatterning, Cognitive Kinetics, Idonics – the Key Tool, Facilitating Participative Repatterning, CHAPTER 7 – TRANSFORMING IN THE NOW, Step 7 - The Ox Out of Sight, the Self Alone., Perception within the Present Moment, The Four Modes of Anticipation, An Exercise of Anticipatory Consciousness , APM Exercise 1 – The Stretch, APM Exercise 2 – Reflexive Questions, Tapping Our Potential , Getting to Grips with The Now, CHAPTER 8 – NATURAL SYSTEMS THINKING, Systems Thinking as Qualitative Practice, References, Index

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Book SynopsisA straightforward explanation of root cause analysis and systems thinking, illustrating, with real-world examples and first-hand accounts, why things can slip through our fingers' and what to do to reduce the chances of things going off track. Beyond the Five Whys summarises, for the first time, many of the tried and tested ways of understanding problems using insights from aviation, high reliability organisations and a range of thought-provoking sources. The book provides readers with a clear and structured explanation how to analyse setbacks and head off problems in the first place. It will challenge much of the received wisdom, such as the idea there can be one root cause or that a person or bad culture could be a root cause. Specific areas covered: Learn what root causes are, how they differ from immediate and contributing causes and why it's so important to go beyond the Five Whys technique for root cause analysis. Recalibrate the way you think about things going wrong, incorporating insights from systems thinking, so you can be clearer what cultural' or systemic problems mean in practice. Learn about the eight principal ways things can slip through our fingers. Go beyond the blame game and firefighting to avoid the never ending cycle of repeating issues. Strengthen your ability to read the output of a lessons learned' or enquiry report. Get a fresh perspective, using these techniques, on why the Titanic tragedy turned out so badly, and understand the numerous parallels between what happened then and a range of recent setbacks we have seen, such as the Covid 19 pandemic. Consider the broader application of these techniques to some of the challenges we face in the 21st century. Beyond the Five Whys also contains supplemental guidance how to make improvements in an organisation. It is of value to business managers and those in specialist roles such as GRC, ESG, risk, compliance, quality, project management, H&S, IT, and internal audit roles.Table of ContentsIntroduction ix Section 1: A High-level Overview of RCA and Systems Thinking 1 Chapter 1: Critical Points Concerning Root Cause Analysis (RCA) 3 Chapter 2: The Fishbone Diagram and Eight Ways of Understanding Why 15 Chapter 3: Systems Thinking and Eight Ways to Understand Why, with Connections 23 Section 2: Eight Ways to Understand Why, With Connections 43 Chapter 4: Setting Appropriate Strategies, Goals, and Understanding Risks 45 Chapter 5: Having Timely, Accurate Data, Information and Communications 63 Chapter 6: Setting Appropriate Roles, Responsibilities, Accountabilities and Authorities 79 Chapter 7: Ensuring a Suitable Design 93 Chapter 8: Understanding and Accommodating External Factors 103 Chapter 9: Effective Building, Maintenance and Change 119 Chapter 10: Understanding and Adapting to ‘Human Factors’ 139 Chapter 11: Addressing Resources, Priorities and Dilemmas 167 Chapter 12: The Titanic Tragedy and Parallels with Modern Disasters 185 Section 3: Taking Action, Now and in the Future 215 Chapter 13: The Challenges with Action Planning 217 Chapter 14: Where Are We Now and Looking Ahead 229 Appendix A: Practical Advice on Action Planning 243 Appendix B: Practical Advice to Improve RCA in an Organisation 251 Appendix C: Practical Advice for Internal Audit and Others in an Audit or Inspection Role 267 Acknowledgements 287 Notes 289 Index 331

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Table of ContentsContentsForeword by Peter M. SengePrefacePART ONE: FCT INTRODUCTION AND CORE CONCEPTS1. Implementing Fast Cycle Time: The Simultaneous Act of Letting Go and Adding On2. Be Fast or Be Last: The Competitive Mandate for Fast Cycle Time3. Fast Cycle Time: The Basics4. Systems and Organizational Learning: The Foundation for Fast Cycle TimePART TWO: FCT IMPLEMENTATION5. Strategic Alignment: Moving Up and to the Left6. Structuring for Speed: Designing and Implementing Multifunctional Teams7. FCT Process Redesign8. Tools and Tactics to Speed Product Development9. Implementation Dynamics and Measures10. Leaders Pave the Road AheadNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisAlways interesting and informed, national award-winning journalist Mark Hagland demonstrates how pioneering organizations are combining new tools with a new way of thinking to reinvent the way we deliver health care services in this country. Through exceptionally well-documented case studies, this insightful volume Puts the current journey towards industry-wide quality transformation into an understandable context for executive, board, and policymaking audiences Explores how performance improvement methodologies borrowed from other industries, including Six Sigma, Lean management, and the Toyota Production System are transforming care delivery processes and administrative operations nationwide Examines the strategic role that information technology will play in the transformation of clinical care quality and patient safety The case studies contained in this book document the surprising strides being madTrade ReviewMark Hagland provides the how-to details for health care executives who are ready to lead meaningful supply-side responses to the growing demand for safe and error-free medical services. Our previous book made the case for transformation and introduced structural approaches for getting started on the road to success. His new book provides detailed instructions for completing the journey. ... It shows how theory has been put into practice by some of the best delivery organizations in the world --Jeffrey C. Bauer, PhD, Partner, Futures Practice Affiliated Computer Services Healthcare Solutions, ChicagoTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Long, Long, Long Journey to Quality In Health Care (Or How Did It Come To This?). A Brief History of Quality and Not-Quality in Health Care, and How Purchasers, Payers and Consumers Are Busy Reframing the Whole Discussion. Pressures from Purchasers and Payers: A Look at Demographic Trends, Pay for Performance, Consumer-Directed Health Care, and Other Trends. What is Transformative Quality? And How Is the Concept of Quality Being Actively Redefined in the Health Care Industry? Six Case Studies in Transformative Quality. Information Technology and Quality. Policy Implications, Future Forecasts. Appendix (Resources, Terms). Index.

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Book SynopsisWhat Works for GE May Not Work for You: Using Human Systems Dynamics to Build a Culture of Process Improvement provides new tools for managing and sustaining process improvement in today's complex non-linear environments and helps readers apply new, relevant theory to their own management practices. With more than 50 combined years of change management and process improvement consulting experience, the authors offer valuable practical insights for creating dynamic organizational change.The first section of the book describes the key bodies of knowledge and process improvement processes (Lean, Six Sigma, and Human Systems Dynamics) used throughout the text. The next two sections focus on the case story of TryinHard Marine. The authors first highlight the dynamics of a typical linear process improvement implementation. They then present ways to combat a range of complex, non-linear, and emergent organizational issues as they arise during the implementation ofTrade Review"I found What Works for GE May Not Work for You: Using Human Systems Dynamics to Build a Culture of Process Improvement to be theoretically sound, practical, and easy to read and understand. Blending traditional models and new thinking, the authors have certainly provided food for thought for those struggling to make process improvement a way of life in their teams and organizations. I believe these ideas and tools can help you build capacity for yourself, your team, and your organization to respond creatively and effectively to complex change."—From the Foreword by Glenda H. Eoyang, Founding Executive Director, Human Systems Dynamics Institute, Circle Pines, Minnesota, USA"This book is a profound shift for those seeking to implement continuous improvement efforts within their organization. The system may be suffering for many reasons—customers not getting what they want and need, organizations not getting the extra mileage out of the tremendous efforts requiring employee attention and engagement, and individuals not feeling they are making a significant difference. Process improvement efforts have been designed as linear or mechanistic approaches to fix technical problems. However, it is human interaction that accomplishes the tasks and humans are complex and definitely not linear! Solow and Fake offer a unique approach for organizations experiencing rapid change. They offer tips for beginning or re-engaging in a continuous improvement effort. Most importantly, the authors paint a picture of the dynamics which can cause derailment and offer a different language for moving projects forward. This is a ‘must-read’ book for anyone involved in Lean, Six Sigma or other process improvement initiatives."—Kristine Quade, author of Dynamical Leadership: Building Adaptive Capacity for Uncertain Times (2010)"We’d all like to think our rational, logical approaches to process improvement will work every time—but too often they don’t. Why? The world is messy, things happen we didn’t predict, and random events get in the way.This book approaches process improvement from the perspective of the world as it is, not as we wish it was. It incorporates several disciplines we typically don’t access when we’re doing process improvement: chaos theory, Lean, Six Sigma, and Human Systems Dynamics. Want to increase your success rate on process improvement? Read this book and incorporate its ideas into your approach."—Dr. Warren Wilhelm, DBA Harvard Business School, and President, Global Consulting Alliance"As an industrial statistician, I have found only half the job was finding statistical solutions to the technical problems. The other half was finding ways to enable the organization to leverage the statistical results. Unfortunately, making changes stick often is where we fail because we don’t recognize the messy reality of our situation. This book provides practical approaches to effectively implementing process improvements that adapt to the situation at hand rather than trying to fit a linear and overly specific ‘square peg’ solution into the chaotic ‘round hole’ of the real world. Solow and Fake use an effective comparison of two stories to highlight effective approaches to implementing a process improvement culture. The traditional version is so true-to-life, you will think they are writing about your organization. The adaptive change version addresses all those failure modes you have encountered in making change. Read this for a more effective approach to implementing your changes. This book will make your Lean Six Sigma efforts stick."—John V. Grice, Ph. D., Industrial Statistician, Six Sigma Master Black BeltTable of ContentsWhat?. So What?. "So What?"—Take 2. "Now What". Recommended Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisLove, learn, let go. Three decisions. Three actions. Three habits. Together, these offer leaders insight (Leadersights) into the true nature of leadership and can create the type of workplace that can thrive in a demanding future.Leadersights: Creating Great Leaders Who Create Great Workplaces focuses on how organizations of all types can create a leader-development system that defines critical leader behaviors, provides simple techniques for building and improving the skills that drive those behaviors, and establishes a mechanism for monitoring and enforcing those behaviors. This book details how leaders can do the same for their employees; defining and promoting behaviors required for sustaining continuous change. In addition, it synthesizes current research on change, servant leadership, group and team dynamics, job satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, psychological flow, and individual self-efficacy.If you are stuck in a culture of compliance where an increasingly fTable of ContentsChallenging Times Facing Organizations. Behavior. Vision and MetaVision: Setting the Values before Setting the Strategy. Short Interval Leadership. Teams–The Most Important Structural Feature for the Future. Visual Leadership. The Role of Standardized Work. A New Suggestion System.

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Book SynopsisQuality is a form of management that is composed of the double approach of driving an organization towards excellence, while conforming to established standards and laws. The objective of quality confers advantages to companies: it makes them more resilient to change that can be unexpected or even chaotic; it makes them more competitive by identifying those steps in processes that do not offer added value. No longer the concern of a small community of experts, even scientists and engineers working in the private sector will find that they will have to con- front questions related to quality management in their day-to-day professional lives. This volume offers such people an unique entry into the universe of quality management, providing not only a cartography of quality standards and their modes of application with particular attention to the ISO standards but also a broader cultural context, with chapters on the history, prizes, deontology and moral implications of systems of quality management. This book thus opens the door to all those eager to take the first steps to learning how the principles of quality are organized today, and how they can be applied to his or her own activity.Table of ContentsThe Environment of QualityThe Quality Approach: Concepts and DefinitionsThe History of QualityThe ISO 9000 Family of Quality Management SystemsSafety of the Food Chain and the ISO 22000 FamilyQuality Management in Laboratories: ISO 17025Key ISO Management SystemsTotal Quality: Personalities that Stand OutTotal Quality Management: PricesThe Toyota Way and the Toyota Production System (TPS)Quality Control and the Six-Sigma ApproachMoral and Ethical ElementsDeontology of Professions and FunctionsEnvironmental Management and the ISO 14000 FamilySocial Responsibility of Organizations and ISO 26000

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Book SynopsisUpdated yearly to match changing requirements, this guide is designed to help you understand the criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige criteria are being used by thousands of organizations around the world to evaluate their progress toward becoming the best in their fields. This 17th edition of The Pocket Guide to the Baldrige Criteria begins with commonly asked questions about the Award criteria. It then breaks down the 19 items under the seven category headings of the Baldrige criteria with concise explanation and quick tips of what excellent companies do in each area.Table of ContentsIntroduction QUESTIONS & ANSWERS THE BALDRIGE CRITERIA Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer Focus, Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Workforce Focus, Process Management, Results, ADDITIONAL READING

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Book SynopsisLean Transformations for Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from Italian Businesses summarizes two decades of research, teaching, and practice on lean thinking.Based on quantitative analysis of 100 cases of Lean transformations and 20 in-depth case studies of successfully transformed SMEs, it explains how to undertake lean transformations that lead to operational and financial performance improvement, and uses the Lean Transformation Framework --conceptualized by John Shook at the Lean Enterprise Instituteas a practical approach to design and de-risk the transformation process.SMEs' leaders wishing to undertake and sustain a lean transformation must: Make a serious and lasting commitment to transform, avoiding the temptation to change course of action; Choose accurately the value streams that require improvement as defined by strategy deployment; Build capabilities to sustain the transformation; <Trade Review"This book summarises the lessons that can be learnt from big and small companies in Italy that used lean to help them survive and grow in difficult economic times. Read it to follow their example." -Daniel T Jones, Chairman, Lean Enterprise Academy, UK and Author The Machine that Changed the World and Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation "What does the experience of Italian SMEs have to say about your enterprise transformation? Everything! In Lean Transformations for Small and Medium Enterprises: Lessons Learned from Italian Businesses, author Arnaldo Camuffo provides analysis with usefulness that transcends national borders. In a detailed and comprehensive examination of the success and failure modes of companies going through a lean transformation, Camuffo extrapolates lessons that managers, investors, academicians, and policy makers in any country will find interesting and useful. " -John Shook, Chairman and CEO, Lean Enterprise Institute Chairman, Lean Global Network "Lean Transformations in Small and Medium Enterprises addresses the relatively neglected world of lean in smaller companies—representing an enormous swath of the economy in the industrialized world. Using a wealth of data and case studies Camuffo’s book tells a compelling story of what works and doesn’t work in transforming SMEs and brilliantly translates it into practical terms." -Peter T. Ward, Professor, Ross Chair in Management, and Director, Center for Operational Excellence, Max M. Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University. "A fantastic read. You'll find vivid, real-life illustrations of the Lean Transformation Framework in dynamic businesses and garner new insights into lean thinking in this remarkable book about lean - with Italian style." -Michael Ballé, co-author of The Gold Mine trilogy and co-founder of the Institut Lean France "In Lean Transformations for SMEs, Arnaldo Camuffo vividly depicts how lean is transforming the heart of the Italian and of the global economy. Over 95% of OECD firms are SMEs, contributing to over 60% of employment. Many of them –in Italy and elsewhere- are Genba-people-oriented and community-embedded. With evidence coming from a wealth of cases and data, Camuffo provides a roadmap to successful lean transformations, particularly when economic conditions are unstable." -Takahiro Fujimoto, Professor, Faculty of Economics, and Executive Director, Manufacturing Management Research Center, The University of Tokyo "This book is full of wisdom and insight into Lean ideas, principles, and practices seen through the lens of the Italian experience. It distills years of scholarship and practical involvement with Lean implementations into a valuable guide for managers and entrepreneurs beginning their own "lean journey" and scholars interested in strategic renewal, organizational learning, and intertwined change in technical and human systems. The rich case studies, covering success stories, incomplete "journeys", and implementation failures, are unusually probing and make the Italian story of Lean both utterly distinctive and universal. Enjoy!" -John Paul MacDuffie, The Wharton School of Management, University of Pennsylvania Table of ContentsAcknowledgments About the Author Introduction Chapter 1: Little Big Lean Champions Chapter 2: Understanding the Italian Context Chapter 3: How to Transform SMEs Chapter 4: The Transformation Paths of Italian SMEs Chapter 5: Leading Successful Lean Transformations in SMEs Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays explores ways that universities in East Africa can better serve the common good. Each essay here delves into different aspects of improving the quality of higher education. Readers are introduced to insightful discussions of the role of quality assurance in creating educational systems that are relevant to the global knowledge economy and to the task of advancing human flourishing.

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Book SynopsisA concise guide for managers who are striving to develop the critical skills required for success after a quality initiative has been implemented in their organization. Useful worksheets and other assessment tools help managers deepen their understanding of TQM, identify the specific areas of competency where improvement is needed, and create a plan of action for building skills in those areas.Trade Review"Bravo! Schmidt and Finnigan have provided some long-awaitedpractical advice and know-how to help leaders ensure a successfultransformation to a total quality organization." --Thomas A.Meachum, director of quality resources, HCA Bayonet Point/HudsonMedical Center "The down-to-earth guide on transforming companies to total qualitymanagement! TQManager offers practical hands-on advice and aninvaluable self-assessment tool for every manager who must lead thechange to total quality." --Bill Wiggenhorn, president, MotorolaUniversityTable of ContentsPart One: What You Need to Know About TQM 1. Understanding the Concept 2. Recognizing the Challenges Part Two: Mastering the Five Key Competencies of TQManagement 3. One: Developing Relationships of Openness and Trust 4. Building Collaboration and Teamwork 5. Three: Managing by Fact 6. Four: Supporting Results Through Recognition and Rewards 7. Five: Creating a Learning and Continuously ImprovingOrganization Part Three: Sharpening Your TQManagement Skills 8. Getting and Using Feedback About Yourself 9. Resources for TQManagers Appendixes: A. Glossary of TQM Terms and Tools B. TQM Experts andPublications You Should Know About

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Book SynopsisMarketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment is a how-to book designed for the marketing practitioner. It provides detailed information on how to prepare and implement a marketing plan based in a total quality environment.For the last twenty years, the authors, as marketing practitioners and educators, have been deeply involved in the planning processes of many corporations. This book, Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment, is the product of what they've learned over the years from working with these diverse corporations and their executives. The authors provide readers with each step in the total quality planning process, complete with check sheets and plan formats. After readers finish the book, they can prepare a quality-driven marketing plan that will be used and followed throughout the year--instead of becoming a shelf item.This book is for you and the many other marketing professionals who are faced with one or more of these situations: You're doing a good job, but you'd like to do even better. You're spending valuable time putting out fires. You lack time to do the things that need to be done. You're always having a hard time coordinating major marketing programs. You're faced with a major discrepancy between where you are and where you'd like to be; you've got a planning gap. You realize that you've got to offer your customers more quality if you're going to be competitive in the new market environment. You'd like to have a professional annual marketing plan--one that will be well received by management and will also keep you and your staff focused throughout the year. Because each step on how to develop a marketing plan is covered, Marketing Planning in a Total Quality Environment is ideal for presidents of smaller firms, marketing directors and planners, product managers, and planning specialists. The authors include a sample fact book which can be used to store and analyze data, planning forms which help convert data into information, and marketing plan formats which ensure that the plan will get used.Table of ContentsContentsPreface Section I: Introduction The Need to Build Total Quality Into Your Marketing Plan The Need for a Formal Marketing Plan Involvement: The Key to Successful Total Quality Planning How to Make the Plan a Living Document The “Ideal” Method” The Micron Case The Role of the Marketing Plan in the Business Plan The Marketing Planning Process--An Overview Section II: The Eight Planning Steps Step 1. SWOTs: Present Step 2. SWOTs: Present (cont.) Step 3. SWOTs Present (cont.) Step 4. SWOTs Future Step 5. Gap Analysis Step 6. Examination of Strategic Options and Strategy Selection Step 7. Strategy Documentation and Evaluation Step 8. Fleshing Out, Documenting, and Formatting the Annual Marketing Plan Section III: Retrospect and Expectation A Look Back and a Look Ahead Section IV: Appendixes Appendix A: Section 1: Forecasting Techniques Section 2: Forecasting Rules of Thumb Appendix B: How to Adjust Financial Statements for Inflation Appendix C: Fact Book Appendix D: Product/Service-Target Market Plan Appendix E: Summary Marketing Plan Notess Index

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Book SynopsisWhich is the right approach for effective continuous improvement? While much has been written on merging Lean and Six Sigma initiatives, this is the first book to detail a logical alternative - a no-nonsense strategy for maintaining the best of both initiatives without diluting either. In Using Lean for Faster Six Sigma Results, Mark Nash, Sheila Poling, and Sophronia Ward lay out the differences between Lean and Six Sigma, define the distinct power and focus of each, and detail why and how to use them together in a synchronized and complementary way. While Lean focuses on the elimination of waste, Six Sigma addresses variability and reliability. Organizations that initiate Lean early in their continuous improvement efforts create culture change, immediate results, and streamlined processes, paving the way for faster and more effective Six Sigma results. This practical, easy read shows how to choose the right projects, approach, people, and toolset to achieve bottom-line results faster. Readers will benefit from the authors' years of experience implementing Lean with Six Sigma, through detailed case studies from both manufacturing and service companies. If you are struggling with the dilemma of how to integrate Lean and Six Sigma, or deciding which approach to use, read this practical, down-to-earth book to inspire and guide your strategy. Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1. Purpose of a Lean or Six Sigma InitiativeChapter 2. The Power and Focus of LeanChapter 3. The Power and Focus of Six SigmaChapter 4. Lean and Six Sigma ARE Different InitiativesChapter 5. Creating the Culture for Successful ChangeChapter 6. Faster Six Sigma Results come from a Lean CultureChapter 7. Lean or Six Sigma: Applying the Right MethodologyChapter 8. The Two-Pronged Approach: Synchronizing and Six Sigma Chapter 9. Beyond Lean and Six Sigma: From Project Focused to Future Focus Improvement

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Book SynopsisIn Keeping Score, the author contends that metrics must be all-encompassing. They must focus not just on the present, but need to consider the past and future. They also must consider the needs of all participants, including customers, shareholders, and employees. Still one must know exactly what to measure, as measuring everything can be more damaging than measuring nothing. Taking a balanced Baldrige approach, this book shows how to evaluate current approaches to measurement and pinpoint false measurements. It covers the selection of financial metrics, ways to measure employee and customer satisfaction, and methods to track performance and measure quality.Table of ContentsAcknowl edgments Introduction -- PART 1: EVALUATING YOUR MEASUREMENT SYSTEM -- 1 Measurement: The Key to World-Class Performance -- 2 Problems with Most Measurement System -- 3 EvaluatIng Your Existing Measurement System -- PART II: SELECTING THE RIGHT METRICS -- 4 KeepIng Score In World-Class Organizations -- 5 Measuring Financial Performance -- 6 MeasurIng Customer Satisfaction and Value -- 7 MeasurIng Product/Service Quality -- 8 MeasurIng Processes and Operational Performance -- 9 Measuring Supplier Performance -- 10 Measuring Employee Satisfaction -- PART III: REDESIGNING YOUR MEASUREMENT SYSTEM -- 11 how to Design Your Own Measurement System -- 12 Linking Measures to Strategy and Key Success Factors -- 13 Reporting and Analyzing Performance Data -- 14 linking Measures, Goals, and Plans -- Bibi lography -- Index.

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Book SynopsisFor decades, the manufacturing industry has employed the Toyota Production System — the most powerful production method in the world — to reduce waste, improve quality, reduce defects and increase worker productivity. In 2001, Virginia Mason Medical Center, an integrated healthcare delivery system in Seattle, Washington set out to achieve its compelling vision to become The Quality Leader and to fulfill that vision, adopted the Toyota Production System as its management method.Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center's Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience takes you on the journey of of Virginia Mason Medical Center's pursuit of the perfect patient experience through the application of lean principles, tools, and methodology. Over the last several years Virginia Mason has become internationally known for its journey towards perfection by applying the Toyota Production System to healthcare. The book takes readers step by step through Virginia Mason's journey as it seeks to provide perfection to its customer – the patient. This book shows you how you use this system to transform your own organization.Trade ReviewIf you work in the health and medical care field and you believe you and your institution are as good as it is possible to be, you should read this book. It will reset your standards and show you how to produce more value for your patients at a lower cost. This is a front line story, not a pie in the sky theory or project of the month. It is a story about real people dedicated to the pursuit of habitual excellence. —Paul O’Neill, 72nd Secretary of the U.S. Treasury & former Chairman and CEO of Alcoa A comprehensive and insightful book that chronicles an arduous journey to achieve an exceptional patient-centered culture using a management system only now recognized as relevant to health care. This is a story of how Virginia Mason became the benchmark against which other health care systems must judge themselves, and a beacon in a field that has resisted change for far too long. —David M. Lawrence, MD, MPH, Chairman and CEO (retired), Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Inc. The challenges to our U.S. health care system have never been greater. We are challenged by the high cost of care and less than optimal quality and safety. Virginia Mason Medical Center has been on a ten year journey to demonstrate just what is possible and the results have been profound. What is equally amazing, and must reading for health care leaders, is the story of their journey. It is possible to improve quality and safety while simultaneously reducing cost! —John Kitzhaber, MD, Governor of Oregon 1995-2003 U.S. health care is replete with stories of failed attempts to improve quality and control soaring costs, only to succumb to perverse incentives, infighting and an entrenched status quo. Virginia Mason offers a different path forward, by showing what happens when all of health care’s stakeholders — doctors, employers, insurers — align themselves behind pursuing the best care for the patient. It’s a potential model precisely because its leadership medical staff had to overcome the same challenges that affect hospitals and clinicians across the country today. —Vanessa Fuhrmans, The Wall Street Journal Congratulations to the Virginia Mason team for being another great example of committing to a compelling vision and to continuous quality improvement … . Thank You! —Alan Mulally, former President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; current President and CEO, Ford Motor Company Health care transformation is a process not an event. This book richly describes this process at Virginia Mason — not just the principles but all the challenges along the way and how they were overcome. It is a textured account of an ongoing journey and as such is an invaluable aid to anyone serious about transforming their own organization. —Richard Bohmer, MBChB, MPH Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School This is the story of a journey. It’s a journey that began almost a decade ago, that continues today, and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Through a number of powerful case studies, this book illustrates how Virginia Mason Medical Center has steadily improved the safety, quality, and efficiency of its patient care — one process at a time. But more importantly, it is a study in leadership and cultural transformation in one of our nation’s most important industries — health care. That transformation has made patient-centered care much more than a slogan at Virginia Mason; it has become a way of doing business, each and every day. The beneficiaries of that transformation, first and foremost, are the patients Virginia Mason serves. But of equal importance is the new-found sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that these changes have engendered among the Medical Center’s physicians, management team and employees. This book is inspiring must reading for anyone who leads, or aspires to lead, any health care organization. — William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, President and CEO, Medical Group Management Association If you want to understand what health care can become, you need to know about Virginia Mason Medical Center. This book gives you the complete story. It is essential reading. —David Cutler, former Senior Health Care Advisor, Obama Presidential Campaign An inspiring tale of leadership, discipline, and persistence by an organization committed to excellence in patient care. VMMC has redefined patient-centeredness as the core of process change. By so doing, not only has it transformed its culture and dramatically improved outcomes, it has set new standards for quality and efficiency. Must reading for all health care leaders who are serious about quality. —Lucian L. Leape, MD, Harvard School of Public Health This remarkable story of Virginia Mason's journey to Lean offers hope that America can achieve the high-quality, affordable care we all deserve. —Ceci Connolly, Freelance Writer How does a hospital change the very culture of medicine? By abandoning the philosophy that says This is the way we’ve always done it! That’s the essence of the amazing story of true change told by Charles Kenney in Transforming Healthcare: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience. But hold on: This is not a cold chronicle of good people moving deck chairs around on the deck of the Titanic. This is genuine course-changing, history-changing work born of steely determination to stop hurting patients by finding ways of practicing medicine that tradition never taught.How does one transform to an idyllic hospital where errors never hurt patients and people are happy? By breaking the molds and infusing a common vision and by starting down the path Dr. Gary Kaplan and Virginia Mason were courageous enough to blaze ten years ago - when no one else was even peeking outside the box.If you intend to keep your patients safe - if you intend to improve the working environment, the bottom line, and the camaraderie of your hospital - you cannot ignore this story! This book isn’t about Lean, Toyota, or any single methodology as much as it’s about a refusal to maintain the terrible status quo documented by the Institute of Medicine in 1999. This book is the foundational element of understanding what it takes to really change a moribund culture. —John J. Nance, author, Why Hospitals Should Fly Virginia Mason Medical Center is widely recognized as the pioneer in applying the disciplines of the Toyota Production Systems to improve the delivery of health care. Now, with the publication of Transforming Health Care, we have a first-hand account of what they did and what they learned: the steps they took to make the concept of Team Medicine a reality; the struggles and successes in moving from physician-centric to patient-centered care; and the projects they have undertaken to redesign clinical pathways to eliminate waste and error, reduce scientific uncertainty, and promote patient preferences. An easy read, but also an in-depth account of Virginia Mason’s effort to transform itself. This book is a must for students of organizational behavior as well as for those who aspire to improve health care. —John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH, Peggy Y. Thomson Professor Emeritus (Chair) in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences & Founder and Director Emeritus, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice If you work in the health and medical care field and you believe you and your institution are as good as it is possible to be, you should read this book. It will reset your standards and show you how to produce more value for your patients at a lower cost. This is a front line story, not a pie in the sky theory or project of the month. It is a story about real people dedicated to the pursuit of habitual excellence. —Paul O’Neill, 72nd Secretary of the U.S. Treasury & former Chairman and CEO of Alcoa A comprehensive and insightful book that chronicles an arduous journey to achieve an exceptional patient-centered culture using a management system only now recognized as relevant to health care. This is a story of how Virginia Mason became the benchmark against which other health care systems must judge themselves, and a beacon in a field that has resisted change for far too long. —David M. Lawrence, MD, MPH, Chairman and CEO (retired), Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Inc. The challenges to our U.S. health care system have never been greater. We are challenged by the high cost of care and less than optimal quality and safety. Virginia Mason Medical Center has been on a ten year journey to demonstrate just what is possible and the results have been profound. What is equally amazing, and must reading for health care leaders, is the story of their journey. It is possible to improve quality and safety while simultaneously reducing cost! —John Kitzhaber, MD, Governor of Oregon 1995-2003 U.S. health care is replete with stories of failed attempts to improve quality and control soaring costs, only to succumb to perverse incentives, infighting and an entrenched status quo. Virginia Mason offers a different path forward, by showing what happens when all of health care’s stakeholders — doctors, employers, insurers — align themselves behind pursuing the best care for the patient. It’s a potential model precisely because its leadership medical staff had to overcome the same challenges that affect hospitals and clinicians across the country today. —Vanessa Fuhrmans, The Wall Street Journal Congratulations to the Virginia Mason team for being another great example of committing to a compelling vision and to continuous quality improvement … . Thank You! —Alan Mulally, former President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; current President and CEO, Ford Motor Company Health care transformation is a process not an event. This book richly describes this process at Virginia Mason — not just the principles but all the challenges along the way and how they were overcome. It is a textured account of an ongoing journey and as such is an invaluable aid to anyone serious about transforming their own organization. —Richard Bohmer, MBChB, MPH Professor of Management Practice, Harvard Business School This is the story of a journey. It’s a journey that began almost a decade ago, that continues today, and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Through a number of powerful case studies, this book illustrates how Virginia Mason Medical Center has steadily improved the safety, quality, and efficiency of its patient care — one process at a time. But more importantly, it is a study in leadership and cultural transformation in one of our nation’s most important industries — health care. That transformation has made patient-centered care much more than a slogan at Virginia Mason; it has become a way of doing business, each and every day. The beneficiaries of that transformation, first and foremost, are the patients Virginia Mason serves. But of equal importance is the new-found sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that these changes have engendered among the Medical Center’s physicians, management team and employees. This book is inspiring must reading for anyone who leads, or aspires to lead, any health care organization. — William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, President and CEO, Medical Group Management Association If you want to understand what health care can become, you need to know about Virginia Mason Medical Center. This book gives you the complete story. It is essential reading. —David Cutler, former Senior Health Care Advisor, Obama Presidential Campaign An inspiring tale of leadership, discipline, and persistence by an organization committed to excellence in patient care. VMMC has redefined patient-centeredness as the core of process change. By so doing, not only has it transformed its culture and dramatically improved outcomes, it has set new standards for quality and efficiency. Must reading for all health care leaders who are serious about quality. —Lucian L. Leape, MD, Harvard School of Public Health This remarkable story of Virginia Mason's journey to Lean offers hope that America can achieve the high-quality, affordable care we all deserve. —Ceci Connolly, Freelance Writer How does a hospital change the very culture of medicine? By abandoning the philosophy that says This is the way we’ve always done it! That’s the essence of the amazing story of true change told by Charles Kenney in Transforming Healthcare: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience. But hold on: This is not a cold chronicle of good people moving deck chairs around on the deck of the Titanic. This is genuine course-changing, history-changing work born of steely determination to stop hurting patients by finding ways of practicing medicine that tradition never taught.How does one transform to an idyllic hospital where errors never hurt patients and people are happy? By breaking the molds and infusing a common vision and by starting down the path Dr. Gary Kaplan and Virginia Mason were courageous enough to blaze ten years ago - when no one else was even peeking outside the box.If you intend to keep your patients safe - if you intend to improve the working environment, the bottom line, and the camaraderie of your hospital - you cannot ignore this story! This book isn’t about Lean, Toyota, or any single methodology as much as it’s about a refusal to maintain the terrible status quo documented by the Institute of Medicine in 1999. This book is the foundational element of understanding what it takes to really change a moribund culture. —John J. Nance, author, Why Hospitals Should Fly Virginia Mason Medical Center is widely recognized as the pioneer in applying the disciplines of the Toyota Production Systems to improve the delivery of health care. Now, with the publication of Transforming Health Care, we have a first-hand account of what they did and what they learned: the steps they took to make the concept of Team Medicine a reality; the struggles and successes in moving from physician-centric to patient-centered care; and the projects they have undertaken to redesign clinical pathways to eliminate waste and error, reduce scientific uncertainty, and promote patient preferences. An easy read, but also an in-depth account of Virginia Mason’s effort to transform itself. This book is a must for students of organizational behavior as well as for those who aspire to improve health care. —John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH, Peggy Y. Thomson Professor Emeritus (Chair) in the Evaluative Clinical Sciences & Founder and Director Emeritus, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice Table of ContentsThe Blue Yarn. Safety Crusade. Ambulatory Care Breakthrough. Transforming Procedural Care. Transforming Inpatient Care. Better, Faster, More Affordable. Management Method. The Journey Continues.

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Book SynopsisQuality Assurance for Textiles and Apparel, 2e reflects the industry's best practices and most practical efforts to provide products of a consistent quality that meet customers' needs. With updated information on technological advances and issues of globalization, the second edition emphasizes the importance of incorporating product quality from the merchandising and design stages through production, delivery, and retailing.Table of ContentsUnderstanding Quality Assurance Introduction to Quality Assurance Linking Products, Quality, and Customers Understanding Standards and Specifications Introduction to Testing Materials Testing Specifying and Evaluating Materials Durability Testing Evaluating Material Contributions to Comfort, Safety, and Health Evaluating Care, Appearance Retention, Colorfastness, and Weather Resistance Specifying and Evaluating Color Requirements Product Specifications and Analysis Developing Standards and Specifications for Products Inspecting Products Evaluating Products Sampling a Lot and Developing Acceptance Levels Integration and Data Analysis Total Quality Management Analytical Tools

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Book SynopsisGlobal competition, corporate downsizing and corporate restructuring have forced many firms to reevaluate their operating methods. Today, corporations must do more with less while still watching the bottom line and improving profitability. ISO 14000 and ISO 9000, because of their similar management system requirements and auditing procedures, are good candidates for integration. This is the driving force behind Environmental and Quality Systems Integration.This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instruction for companies wishing to cut costs and integrate their Environmental Health and Safety System (ISO 14000) into an existing Quality Management System (ISO9000). Environmental and Quality Systems Integration serves to ease this transition and offers companies a way to meet quality assurance standards.Table of ContentsEnvironmental and Quality Systems Integration

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Book SynopsisExplains the basic principles and techniques of quality management in healthcare. This second edition features a new chapter devoted exclusively to the use of high-reliability concepts that help organizations achieve safety, quality, and efficiency goals.

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Book SynopsisIn all walks of life, at some point in time, we all use the process of problem solving. We all talk about it, we all use it, but chances are we all mean different things by it. Six Sigma and Beyond: Problem Solving and Basic Mathematics organizes the topic and provides a structured approach based on the scientific method. Specifically designed to address the issue of cognitive functioning this volume provides a generic approach to problem solving.The Six Sigma methodology demands that problems be resolved in such a way that both the customer and organization benefit. Not a bad expectation. In this book, the author addresses what a problem is and systematically defines the process of resolving it. He stresses the importance of the team - people power - dedicated to solving a specific problem - process power - and how this combination leads to efficiencies that please the customer and enhance the bottom line.Identifying the problem is only half the task. The next step is to resolve it. This book gives you a detailed rationale and a theoretical explanation of the problem solving process. It focuses on problem solving from a quality perspective and addresses key concepts in team dynamics. It provides an overview of the basic tools of problem solving. In addition, the author introduces the Global Problem Solving (GPS) process. This strategic program brings the focus of quality programs back to eliminating mistakes, waste, and rework. The book highlights the basic mathematics used in all phases of quality control. It introduces each mathematical concept, gives an example, and proceeds with several exercises that demonstrate the solution. With Six Sigma and Beyond: Problem Solving and Basic Mathematics you get the techniques and statistical tools to go beyond theory to real-world applications and take quality management to the next level.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION. Theoretical Aspects of Problem Solving. Overview of Key Elements to Problem Solving. Problem-Solving (PS) and Process Improvement (PI) Cycle. Tools of Quality. The Global Problem Solving (GPS) Process. Six Sigma Approach to Problem Solving. BASIC MATHEMATICS. The Value of Whole Numbers. Addition and Subtraction of Whole Numbers. Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers. Parts and Types of Fractions. Simple Form and Common Denominators of Fractions. Adding and Subtracting Fractions. Multiplication and Division of Fractions. Ordering, Rounding and Changing Decimals. The Four Operations of Decimals. DIVISION WITH DECIMALS. Squares, Square Roots, Cubes, Cube Roots and Proportions. Scientific Notation and Powers of Ten. Decimals. The Metric System. International System of Units. Conversion of English to Metric. APPENDICES. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThis book provides an introduction to Total Quality Management (TQM) and its principles. TQM is a management approach that focuses on continuous improvement of processes and products to enhance customer satisfaction. The book covers topics including TQM implementation, quality control, team-building, and customer service. It is an essential guide for professionals seeking to improve their organization's quality management system and increase customer loyalty.Table of Contents Chapter 1 Historical Evolution and Essentials of TQM Chapter 2 Principles of TQM Chapter 3 Total Quality Management and Standardization Chapter 4 Tools and Techniques to Achieve TQM Chapter 5 Measurement of Quality in Total Quality Management Chapter 6 Policy Deployment and Implementation of TQM Chapter 7 Challenges and Barriers to Total Quality Management Chapter 8 Productivity of Total Quality Management

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